So thorough has been Ubaldo Jimenez’s dominance this season that it’s hard to know where to start.

Is it the 9-1 record and 0.88 ERA? Is it the breathtaking talent that produced the Rockies’ first no-hitter in franchise history on April 17?

“Everything about him this season has been unbelievable,” outfielder Carlos Gonzalez said. “Where do you begin?”

The story of Ubaldo Jimenez’s transformation into a modern-day Bob Gibson can be traced to a special delivery. It wasn’t exactly FedEx since it took roughly six years to get to this point. But a big reason Jimenez is the National League’s best pitcher is his refined, if not unique, mechanics.

Jimenez has made four subtle changes in his delivery since 2007 that help explain why he is being mentioned among legends. One, he’s not reaching his arm back as far after breaking from his glove. Two, he’s using less body rotation in order to keep his head on the target. Three, he stands up slightly taller to start his delivery, and four, he’s increased his stride length by more than a foot.

“He was like that new shirt you buy and it’s in plastic. It’s beautiful, but it has some wrinkles,” pitching coach Bob Apodaca said. “You have to put it on the ironing board to get it ready to wear. He had all the ingredients to be great, and since 2007 he’s worked hard to become more consistent with his delivery.”

Jimenez’s funky delivery is something “you would never teach,” the pitcher readily admits. But, like Jim Furyk’s golf swing or Alex English’s jump shot, Jimenez has grown comfortable with mechanics that are distinguished by an arm that drops lower and more behind his back than almost any other major league pitcher.

“It works for me. I feel like a hurricane when I release the ball,” Jimenez said.

The transformation begins

From the moment the Rockies signed Jimenez as a 16-year-old kid, he profiled as a power pitcher because of his lanky frame and whippy arm action. But there’s a misconception that he’s always had his unique motion.

“When he was young, it wasn’t a clean delivery, but it was more traditional,” said Rolando Fernandez, the Rockies’ director of international operations. “He didn’t have the stab yet.”

That is at the heart of the matter — the arm stab.

In 2004, pitching for Class A Visalia, Jimenez suffered a stress fracture in his right shoulder. It was a devastating injury, complicated by whispers he was faking it. So Jimenez stubbornly went to the mound to prove a point, his career in the crossroads.

“Some of my teammates didn’t even believe me. I will never forget going out on the mound, and throwing 58 miles per hour on the first pitch and 60 miles per hour on the second pitch,” Jimenez said. “It was obvious something was really wrong.”

Learning a new delivery

After surgery, he returned the next season and was searching for power. He adopted the stab of his right hand behind his back to create a slingshot effect. By comparison, most pitchers break their hands slightly below their chest, creating a scarecrow figure with both arms.

“The delivery was his decision,” Fernandez said. “He couldn’t get the feel back for his old motion.”

Jimenez’s biggest challenge then became consistency, repeating his delivery with the same motion over and over. He struggled to do so, which affected his control, which delayed his big-league arrival until 2006.

It was in 2007 that Jimenez began taking the steps to this season’s road to glory. While he helped the Rockies reach the World Series, he was constantly tinkering with his motion, making gradual adjustments that he continued through last season, all of which have led to him become the most dominant pitcher in the game.

“When he came to spring training this year, I noticed right from his first side session how comfortable he was with his delivery, especially from the stretch,” Apodaca said. “Now, at the release point, he’s in the same position that most pitchers get to. Everything is consistently on time.”

As a result, Jimenez has arrived at the intersection of Cy Young candidacy and superstardom.

Because he knows where the ball is going, Jimenez has transformed into an economical whiz. He pounds the strike zone with 98-mph sinkers, getting quick outs, preferring those over strikeouts.

“The ability to locate his fastball down has opened everything else up,” manager Jim Tracy said.

The master takes his place

Opposing hitters admit that the plan of attack against Jimenez has flipped. They used to be told to exercise patience and wait for the mistake. In Jimenez’s last two starts against the Diamondbacks and Astros, they repeatedly fired early in counts, sitting on fastballs. Arizona barreled several balls through the first three innings.

That slight hiccup illuminated Jimenez’s maturity and comfort level with his polished delivery.

“A few years ago, or even last year, he would have gone to his curveball or off-speed pitches and panicked. Just started throwing them over and over,” Fernandez said. “But once he made the slight adjustment, he went back to the game plan. He didn’t forget about his fastball. He has so much confidence in his mechanics now that he knows he can throw strikes on all his pitches. It’s a credit to all of his hard work paying off.”

Troy is a former Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies beat writer for The Denver Post. He joined the news organization in 2002 as the Rockies' beat writer and became a Broncos beat writer in 2014 before assuming the lead role ahead of the 2015 season. He left The Post in 2015.

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